Arsenal are eyeing a sensational summer swoop for Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard after meeting his representatives this week. The Gunners are looking to bring the former Chelsea superstar back to the Premier League and rescue him from his nightmare stint at Los Blancos.
According to Foot Mercato, Real Madrid have a strategy in place to loan Hazard out next season before selling him in 2023, one year before his contract expires. And following an initial inquiry in March, Arsenal returned to talks this week to discuss a potential loan switch with the option to buy.
The Gunners have maintained a good relationship with Real in recent years, loaning Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard before making the latter’s deal permanent. Mikel Arteta is well-positioning to welcome Hazard to his ever-improving squad, and there could be Champions League football on offer at the Emirates Stadium.
However, the report claims an agreement isn’t close because Hazard doesn’t want to leave the Spanish capital this summer. The 31-year-old forward plans to run down his Real contract for the next two seasons as he’s convinced there is still hope of turning his £130million move into a success.
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Arteta, currently set to start next season with three fewer first-team forwards than they had at the start of the current campaign, will pursue attacking reinforcements during the summer transfer window. Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah’s contracts expire in June, and there is no suggestion that either are close to extending terms.
And Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was club captain just months ago, was allowed to terminate his contract and join Barcelona on a free transfer in January. It would be a surprise if Arsenal didn’t target at least two high-profile attacking names to cover such losses.
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